The Breitling Watch Source Forums

I think it's probably better to be thinking in terms of 3 months instead of 1, based on historical time frames and considering how much work still needs to be done. An August delivery date may be more accurate.

What I also think is critical to consider is the fact Altair has paid a deposit on all 20 watches. Apart from the time and effort (let alone money) Altair has spent on calls etc, he's in the position to lose the most. Decisions should definitely consider this fact.

Still 50 / 50 but understand completely those who wish to leave now. Another few months is a long time to wait and I too have a couple of replacement watches in mind if the group decides to leave things as they are

_________________
Happines is Good Health and a Bad Memory.
"Ingrid Bergman"

Thanks Tim, I appreciate your thoughtfulness, but I am willing to go with whatever the group decides.




As I said it is a group decision, but if you are adamant regardless I will buy you out. But lets wait and see how the poll turns out.

_________________
Certified watch nut.

Come on guys... there a lot of "firsts" with this watch... a new dial has to be produced (sandwich at that!) and a new case with domed saphire will be issued for this watch.

These are complex problems, that demand a perfect mechanical solution, for the watch to work properly... you don't just feed a drawing into a computer and get your new watch.

Of course there will be bumps in the road... did you honestly believe, Steinhart can pull that all out of his hat and whip it together in a matter of days? Do you know, how long the production of the "Limited Silver Edition" with the sandwich dial took from first drawing to completion... ?

I say stay on course and wait for it (I know, I will!)
I've seen the designs and the prototype new case firsthand at Steinharts shop... looks all very, very good!

On top of all that, we'll get a killer deal with all the goodies Steinharts packs in the box!
In the end you'll have a truely unique piece, that any watch collecter will admire!

I will not see you out of pocket and think Gunter should pick up the tab as Steinhart were the ones giving the delivery information. I will hang on another Month Altair buddy no worries.

_________________
"It's not how it's written it's how it's read"

No I don't know how long production took but expected the PEOPLE MAKING the watch would. They are the ones who gave Altair the ETA delivery dates for goodness sake

If I tell my customers they will have a delivery in 1 to 2 weeks then they expect the delivery (simple really) If I then turned round and told them the delivery will take at least a further 4 weeks then I would expect them to want to cancel.

_________________
"It's not how it's written it's how it's read"

I think that's a bit harsh tbh fella.

In my trade, we have to rely on other people to supply goods for us to complete the job...if they can't hand us the goods on time, that isn't our fault and we don't expect to be blamed for that.

I could see you may want to cancel your order, but to complain that Gunter is the one responsible is a bit OTT imo.

You can think what you like Fella, Gunter obviously gave Alt a delivery date a while ago (look at the other threads) now he has been told at least another 4 weeks. The person supplying the watch is at fault if the delivery times are way out. I have offered to wait another Month but this is for Alt not Gunter, Steinhart are a business and as such should deliver their goods on time. If at the beginning we were told that the watch would take a year then I would have waited a year.

_________________
"It's not how it's written it's how it's read"

Just had a look at people who have pre ordered a watch and can't see yours on there? This thread is a group topic for members who have ordered a watch, put your name next to a number and hay say what you like.

_________________
"It's not how it's written it's how it's read"

Lets have a poll on this and decide.

Taffy my man I think I have a solution that works for all, someone just emailed me about buying in, I can have him take your place and he can pay you your refund! You get your refund, he gets a place in, and I am off the hook, everyone wins!

_________________
Certified watch nut.

Altair that is great my friend, no way will I see you out of pocket as you are a true gent. Would he want to do BT or other payment?

Mart

_________________
"It's not how it's written it's how it's read"

I think we just hit the typical catch-22 that happens whenever something new is being developed as part of production:

1. Gunter doesn't want to start spending time/money developing the new model until he gets a deposit.
2. We don't want to pony up on the deposit until we have a firm timeline.
3. Gunter won't know the totally firm timeline (esp. with suppliers...you never really know with them until the stuff actually arrives and is up to spec) until he starts production.

It is unfortunate that we were given an original timeline, however, without a realistic appraisal of the potential delays. While the delays are probably not Gunter's fault, I think it is his fault for not really communicating the likelihood of those delays. I am somewhat annoyed with this, but not enough to pull out since I am excited about this watch. I would be very very sad if we canceled it. Also, in Gunter's defense, he seems to by doing this with very little profit margin, so I can't get too upset.

In a perfect world, I would get my deposit back during the extra waiting period. However, PayPal fees and currency conversion fees make that transaction more costly than it is worth. Consequently, I will just wait.

Taffy, I am really glad that it looks like your refund will work out! Kudos to everyone (esp. Taffy and Altair) for keeping a level head and letting this project move forward, even if it's a lot more slowly than we want. When you think about it, there are very few websites out there with sufficiently quality people on them (plus benefactors like Altair) that could have pulled off a group buy like this.

///M

_________________
There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness." --Dave Barry

Well, you must understand how it works in Switzerland... most companies that deliver watchparts or do work like printing and luming dials are little private one-man-backlot-shops. They make parts for all brands...

And Steinhart isn't some major brand... If Steinhart says he'll need let's say 30 dials made for this watch, they accept it and put it on the shelf and then have to finish 5000 dials for another job...

Or something comes up during production... (a sandwich dial is thicker than a normal one... so you might need new axles for the hands... so let's find someone, who can produce and suply those... )

As a private lable distributor you just have to deal with this kind of stuff and can't really say when something will get done... you can only give it your best guess.

Trust me, I've seen this work firsthand and can't tell you just HOW MUCH work this actually is, to get every detail right with this much people involved...

Perhaps it might even be as late as august but this watch will get finished... and I'm looking forward to it!

Fair enough. Apologies, if i pi55ed you off.

I agree with you H. Solo. We have an assortment of people from around the globe involved in this purchase. Everyone has their own idea how a business transaction is carried out. Like you said, we are dealing with a small company in a specialized/unique business, in a country where a lot of us are not familiar or have little experience. There is risk involved. I accept that and am willing to show some patience on the schedule. I hope everything works out as I am anxious to see the final product.

Altair, hang in their buddy!

_________________
Chrono Jetstream
Montbrilliant 1903
Aerospace E79362

_________________
SHARKMAN